Baoxiang Temple

Baoxiang temple, also known as Shibao temple, is known as the "suspended Temple of Yunnan" for its dangerous buildings. It was built by Gaolun, the local magistrate of Heqing in the orthodox period of the Ming Dynasty. At first, it was a Taoist temple. Later, Buddhism flourished. Except for the Yuhuang Pavilion, most temples offered Buddhist statues, which became a place for the confluence of Buddhism and Taoism. The temple is built on the high and steep cliff of Fuding mountain, which makes people dazzled. The temple sits in the West and faces east. It goes into the mountain gate to Tianwang hall. The main hall rises layer by layer. Maitreya hall and Yuhuang pavilion are built in the cliff, which can only be reached by climbing from left to right. Baoxiang temple and Shizhong Temple grottoes are located on Shibaoshan, about 6 kilometers apart. It is another attractive place for Shibaoshan. From Jianchuan to the southwest, the road passes haiyunju and Baoding temple. It is about 3 kilometers along Shanqing to the gate of Baoxiang temple. It is a stone square, which is called "famous mountain fairyland". Enter the square, cross the small stone bridge, enter the jungle, climb up the steep slope, climb up in the shade of the forest, walk about hundreds of meters, you will see the cliff towering, hundreds of meters high, the rock tongue extending, the cliff layer embedded with exquisite architecture, five color painted Pavilion, this is Baoxiang temple. The landscape of Baoxiang temple has its own characteristics. It is attached to the cliff Grottoes by the temple, which is extremely high and dangerous and unforgettable. The main hall at the bottom of the mountain is built according to the cliff. Every rainy day, the mountains and waters are everywhere, and the waterfall falls straight down to the courtyard in front of the temple. In case of a sunny day, the blue sky and dolomite are astonishing. The cliff is full of Inscriptions: "Nanzhou Lingyan", "treasure in the eyes", "Buddha capital", "where is the cloud", "non human" and so on. Baoxiang temple, which is extremely dangerous and mysterious, was built in the Yuan Dynasty. Its original name is Zhu Yan, which is the same as the Zhu Sheng Temple in Jizu mountain. According to the stele of rebuilding Shibaoshan Zhuyan temple, the temple was renamed Baoxiang because of "the milk of Lingquan, the noble stone, the immortal and Buddha, the bird and beast, the bell and drum, and all kinds of natural phenomena". Yongzheng Yimao (1735) was born in Jiangxi Province. Gao Weifu once wrote a couplet for the temple: the flying rocks are all over the platform, looking at the beautiful and strange, who has no Xizhu in the world; the cliffs are full of pavilions, seeing the green light and strange, and the first believers have a cave in the world.

Baoxiang Temple

Baoxiang temple is located in the northwest corner of Wenshang County in Jining City. It was built in the Northern Wei Dynasty and is known as "the first place of interest in the Northern Dynasty and the first Daochang in the East".

Baoxiang Temple scenic area covers an area of more than 600 mu. The hall of worship is now dedicated to Sakyamuni sandalwood gilded Buddha and 18 Arhats of bluestone painted sculpture. With an area of 80 square meters, cunta palace is dedicated to more than 100 Buddhist relics, such as Sakyamuni's real body, Buddha's teeth and relics.

In 2011, the scenic area of Bao Xiang temple was rated as a national AAAA grade tourist attraction. Its main attractions include screen wall, perfume sea, bodhi tree, mount mumi, Bao Xiang temple, Palace of the Earth, Taizi Ling trail tower, Buddha square and Buddha Avenue.

In May 2013, the prince's trace tower of Baoxiang temple was announced by the State Council as the seventh batch of national key cultural relics protection units.

Historical evolution

Baoxiang temple was built in the Northern Wei Dynasty and was named zhaokong temple in the Tang Dynasty.

During the reign of emperor Taihe of Tang Dynasty (827-835 AD), a large bell was cast.

In the first year of dazhongxiangfu (1008 AD), Emperor Zhenzong of the Song Dynasty granted Mount Tai by Zen. When he passed Qufu and Zhongdu on his way home, he appointed zhaokong temple as Baoxiang temple and lived in Baoxiang temple.

In 1938, the Japanese aggressors bombarded Baoxiang temple and bloody Huang'an street, flattened the millennium old temple and robbed Tasha Xianglun.

In 1947, the body of the tower was severely damaged by artillery shells.

In 1958, the ten thousand jin refined iron bell made in the temple in the third year of Taihe (479 AD) of the Northern Wei Dynasty was smashed to make steel.

In the early period of the cultural revolution, the column of the tower foundation was stolen and damaged; in the early 1970s, the bare tower foundation was cleaned up and protected with cement skirt.

On March 15, 1994, when repairing the pagoda and removing the concrete skirt, the entrance to the underground palace at the base of the pagoda was accidentally found. In the pagoda palace, 141 Buddhist relics were found, including gold coffin, silver coffin, Buddha's tooth, relic and kneeling Bodhisattva.

Since 1995, the construction of Baoxiang temple has been resumed. The first phase of the project was completed in 1998. Now, the temple of worship, Zhongdu Museum (exhibition hall of Buddhist relics), stele Gallery, underground palace, monastery and relief archway have been built.

In 2011, Baoxiang Temple scenic spot was rated as national AAAA scenic spot.

In May 2013, the prince wizard tower of Baoxiang temple was announced as the seventh batch of national key cultural relics protection units and national cultural relics protection units by the State Council.

architectural composition

The mountain gate is the main gate of the temple. There are three gates in the temple, namely "empty gate", "Wuxiang gate" and "Wuzuo gate", symbolizing "three gates of liberation". The mountain gate is a hall style, which is called "Mountain Gate hall".

Entering the mountain gate, there are painted statues of King Kong on both sides. These two statues are commonly known as "two generals of hem ha". From the mountain gate, the first hall is the heavenly king hall. The Manjusri hall on the east side is dedicated to Manjusri Bodhisattva. On the west side is the hall of Puxian, dedicated to Puxian Bodhisattva.

Daxiong hall is the core building of the whole temple. It is a song style building with double eaves and Xieshan style. It covers an area of 2560 square meters, with nine bays and five depths.

Main attractions

main hall

The main hall, also known as the main hall, is the core building of the whole temple. It is also the place where monks practice all the time. The main statue of the main hall is Sakyamuni Buddha, the founder of Buddhism. The main hall covers an area of 2560 square meters and a construction area of 1703 square meters. The fence of the hall is made of three feet of white jade, carved with patterns of baoxianghua, Ruyi and tangled branches. The Buddha statues in the hall include Sakyamuni Buddha, mahagaya Buddha, Ananda Buddha, Manjusri Bodhisattva, eighteen Arhats and Guanyin group on the island.

Hall of worship

The hall is 9 meters high and covers an area of 500 square meters. It is a Xieshan style building built by the cultural relics administration in the 1990s. The two couplets were inscribed by monk Changding. The hall of worship is dedicated to the golden Sakyamuni Buddha. The painted statues of the eighteen Arhats around are carved from bluestone.

Prince wizard tower

The prince's spirit trace tower was built in the second year of Zhenghe (1073-1112 AD) from the sixth year of Xining, 38 years ago. It is a typical "Buddha's Tooth Relic pagoda" built by the inspiration tower of the Royal Kaibao temple in the capital under the supervision of master zhirou. The upper half of the pagoda has seven stories of "Gui shaped" windows. The pagoda is an octagonal brick Pagoda with Pavilion style and wood like Dougong structure. The height of the tower is 41.75 meters, the diameter of the base is 10 meters, a total of 13 floors. In the East, West, South and north of the pagoda, there are voucher shaped niches, in which Buddha statues were originally worshipped. On the North floor is the main entrance to the tower, with spiral steps reaching the top of the tower. There are four openings above the fifth floor. The tower is equipped with spiral stairs to the top floor. The pagoda palace covers an area of 80 square meters. Deep in the pagoda palace, Sakyamuni's real body and Buddha's teeth are worshipped.

In May 2013, the prince wizard tower of Baoxiang temple was announced as the seventh batch of national key cultural relics protection units and national cultural relics protection units by the State Council.

Zhongdu Museum

Zhongdu museum was completed in September 1998. It is a double-layer and double eaves Pavilion building in traditional Chinese architecture. It is 21 meters high and covers an area of 2800 square meters. Buddhist relics museum is the main exhibition hall of Zhongdu Museum. The museum is divided into two exhibition rooms, the first in the East is the cultural relics unearthed from Wenshang, and the second in the west is the Buddhist relics unearthed from the prince's spiritual trace tower.

Cultural relics

Buddha's Tooth Relic

A total of 936 Buddhist relics were unearthed in Baoxiang temple, which was recognized as "the largest number of Buddhist relics excavated" by China Buddhist Association.

The Buddha's teeth of Baoxiang temple were acquired by Wukong, a famous monk of Tang Dynasty, from Gandhara city in 790 ad. The teeth are about 5cm long and 2cm in diameter. They are yellow and white in color. They are Pu jade. They are wax like in quality and slightly curved in shape. They have three roots, which are consistent with the "kasimira teeth" recorded by Xuanzang. There is the word "Dongfu" on the tooth, which is the evidence of Wang Anshi's collection.

Stone box

The stone box unearthed under the prince's trace tower of Baoxiang temple in 1994 is engraved with 171 characters, which records the characters, history and age of the relics at that time. Inscriptions on the stone box: Zhao Shichang, Guonei, Zhongdu County, Yunzhou, first bowed to the capital on February 23, the sixth year of Xining, and obtained a limb of Buddha and hundreds of relic from sun Zheng, the official of Jiawang palace. Today, those who bring their own coffins and those who have a benefactor will come, take gold as their coffins, silver as their coffins, and stone as their boxes. So it was buried in the prince's spirit trace tower of Baoxiang temple in Dangxian county.

Gold coffin and silver coffin

The gold coffin and silver coffin found in Baoxiang temple are composed of gold coffin, silver coffin and xumizuo. The gold coffin is made of silver and pasted with gold foil. It is 26 cm long, 28 cm high and 8.4 cm wide. The coffin cover is a pentagonal body with two gold hoops, and the front shelf is carved with a flower and fire cloud crown. The gold coffin is placed on the silver Xumi seat, surrounded by carved railings, carved with auspicious twig patterns, and the waist is decorated with hollowed out Ruyi Yundou patterns. Two gold coins of "Taiping Tongbao" hanging on both sides of the seat are specially made by the Emperor Taizong of the Song Dynasty. The gold coffin is a combination of hammering, welding, riveting, carving and carving. The silver coffin is 16 cm long, 4 cm high and 5-6 cm wide, with a cover and body, a plain surface and a silver hoop. It is divided into two rooms, the front and the back, separated by wooden boxes (decayed). In the front, it holds Buddha's teeth, and in the back, it stores relics. It is wrapped in original silk fabric (decayed).

Residual stone of Maitreya statue in Eastern Wei Dynasty

Maitreya stone is a remnant stone of Eastern Wei Dynasty (534-550) with a history of nearly 1500 years.

Chinese PinYin : Bao Xiang Si